Patient & Family Advisory Council

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Patient & Family Advisory Council

The Patient-Family Advisory Council (PFAC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center is a group of patients, families, caregivers, hospital staff, and faculty who work together on issues related to patient and family-centered care.

Advisory Council Initiatives and Outreach

Since its founding in 2012 the NYP/Columbia PFAC has worked on several initiatives including the following:

  • Provided feedback to Corporate Design regarding signage, room design, and furniture.
  • Ongoing collaboration with the parking facility to improve ease of use.
  • Participated in Nursing Deep Dives that focused on identifying issues and developing initiatives to improve the patient experience on inpatient units.
  • Dialogued with Food Services regarding issues related to the cafeteria space and availability of nutrition services for patients and families.
  • Reviewed hospital department brochures and provided the patient and family perspective on content.

PFAC members also serve on a variety of hospital committees, including the Patient-Centered Care Cabinet, Discharge Committee, Pastoral Care Committee, and the PFAC Steering Committee.

Current NYP/Columbia initiatives

  • Engaging in educational opportunities for hospital and medical staff.
  • Continued participation on NYP Patient Visitation task force.
  • Increasing PFAC involvement on hospital committees.
  • Expanding PFAC membership.
  • Bringing patient-centered art to the hospital.

Meetings

We meet on the second Tuesday of each month and, to accommodate people’s busy schedules, we alternate between morning and evening meetings. Though we prefer you attend in person a bridge line is available. Morning meetings are from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM; evening meetings are from 5:30 to 7:00 PM.

Become a part of the PFAC

If you would like to share your experience, provide perspective and highlight issues important to patients and families we invite you to join us. Our Council strives to represent the diverse community and patient population the Hospital serves. Prospective members should be:

  • Current or former patients or their family members.
  • Committed to regularly attending meetings.
  • Willing to work collaboratively with Hospital Liaisons and other faculty and staff.
  • Focused on providing meaningful feedback from a patient/family perspective as applicable.
  • Able to represent the collective voice of patients and families rather than the individual’s perspective.
  • An active voting member.
  • Patients and Family Advisors are Hospital Volunteers. PFAC members are required to adhere to the NYP Volunteer policies and procedures.

Please complete the PFAC application by clicking on the link below. Once it has been reviewed you will be contacted for an interview with the PFAC executive committee and must be willing to complete the NewYork-Presbyterian’s Volunteer Services process. For more information, please contact [email protected].

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